Patient care wall

ABSTRACT

This specification discloses a wall with a window in it. The wall may be in the form of a closure for a room to prevent cross contamination between service personnel and the environment in which they work. The wall has a tent-like sheet with &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;builtin&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; suits, adapters and life support equipment that permit one or more persons to perform work with a high degree of dexterity and accessability within a sealed chamber. In a lowered position, the tent becomes a closure for the window. In the raised position, the tent permits ingress and egress of service personnel. The suits are attached to the tent by means of adapters which permit access to the full length of a reclining patient. A clear plastic helmet is attached to the suit. An air supply provides air to the helmet and to the gloves through a passage formed by two layers of the plastic. The air flow prevents fogging of the inside of the helmet and helps to keep the hands dry and comfortable.

United States Patent Brendgord 1 51 June 20, 1972 [54] PATIENT CARE WALL [72] Inventor: Thoma Brendgord, Fairview, Pa.

[73] Assignee: American Sterilizer Company, Erie, Pa.

[22] Filed: June 1, 1970 211 Appl. No.2 41,985

3,439,966 4/l969 Perkins et al ..l28/l R X Primary Examiner-Dalton L. Truluck Ar1omey-Charles L. Lovercheck [57] ABSTRACT This specification discloses a wall with a window in it. The wall may be in the form of a closure for a room to prevent cross contamination between service personnel and the environment in which they work. The wall has a tent-like sheet with built-in suits, adapters and life support equipment that permit one or more persons to perform work with a high degree of dexterity and accessability within a sealed chamber. in a lowered position, the tent becomes a closure for the window. In the raised position, the tent permits ingress and egress of service personnel. The suits are attached to the tent by means of adapters which permit access to the full length of a reclining patient. A clear plastic helmet is attached to the-suit. An air supply provides air to the helmet and to the gloves through a passage formed by two layers of the plastic. The air flow prevents fogging of the inside of the helmet and helps to keep the hands dry and comfortable.

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PATIENT CARE WALL STATEMENT OF INVENTION This invention relates to environmental isolation systems and, more particularly, to a wall for isolating one environment from another through which attendants can work.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION The patient care wall consists of a flexible plastic barrier with built-in suits, suit adapters, and life support equipment which permits one or more persons to perform work functions with a high degree of dexterity and accessability within a sealed chamber. The primary purpose being to prevent cross contamination between servicing personnel and the environment in which they perform their work functions. The original design was developed for administering services to hospital patients who are in a germ free (sterile) environment or who are undergoing chemotherapy treatment. The patient care wall provides ready access to the patient from alongside his bed. When the suits are not being used by the service personnel, the support frame can be lowered allowing the suits to be disposed along the lower part of the wall and providing a clear sheet of plastic alongside the patients bed, thereby adding to the window area for a more spacious environment. Two suits are available, one at one end of the bed which provides access to the entire length of the patients bed area and the other at the other end providing somewhat limited access to the patient. The wall has typical application in medical situations such as treatment of patients undergoing chemical therapy in isolators or patients with contagious diseases. The latter application would protect the service personnel from the patient, It also finds application in industrial environments, such as clean room or bench work for ultra-clean assembly of products. It also is useful for performing work functions in hazardous environments where the worker is protected by the wall from the environment.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide an improved patient care wall.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved isolation wall through which attendants can work while being fully isolated from the atmosphere on the opposite side of the wall.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved isolation wall which provides an observation window when otherwise not in use.

Another object is to provide an improved suit and helmet combination with a patient care wall.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a front view of the patient care wall according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a detail cross sectional view of the seal between the flexible tent and the frame in the wall.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of certain parts of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Now with more particular reference to the drawings, a wall is shown having an opening 11. A frame 12 is supported around the opening and the flexible sheet tent 14 is attached to this frame.

The tent 14 comprises a lower section 15 and transparent window section 16. Two holes are formed in the tent lower section 15, indicated at and 26. The hole 25 has a narrow portion 31 that is large enough to allow the lower part of the body of a person to move laterally through it and enlarged part 32 which is sufiiciently large to allow a person to enter. The second hole 26 is large enough to allow a person to enter. The U-shaped member 19 has legs and a transverse portion, the legs of the U-shaped member being attached to the frame 12.

Two attendant suits are attached to the tent lower section 15 as shown, the semi-suit 28 attached at hole 26. and the half suit 27 attached at hole 25. The two suits are of similar construction, the semi-suit 28 being somewhat less extensive than the half suit 27. The half suit 27 is made up of the hip skirt 24 which is a tubular flexible plastic member attached at the lower end 33 to the tent lower section 15 at hole 25, and at the upper end 34 to the lower part of the torso pullover 22. The torso pullover 22 has sleeves 23 and a neck opening 36, attached to the neck opening 36 is the neck piece 29 and the helmet 17 with its adjustable head band 30 attached to the neck piece 29. Attached to the sleeves 23 by means of the cuff rings 21 and rings 20 are the gloves 18. The gloves l8 and the helmet 17 are connected to air lines 35, of Triloc or other suitable material sandwiched between two layers of suit material, which provide fresh air to prevent fogging the helmet 17, and inhibit perspiration on the hands of the attendant. A quick disconnect joint 37 is provided at any suitable location for attachment to an air source.

The semi-suit 28 comprises a torso pullover 122 attached to the tent lower section 15 at hole 26, with sleeves 123 and neck opening 130, neck piece 129, helmet 117, gloves 118, rings 120, and cufi" rings 121.

It will be noted that there is sufficient slack material in the hip skirt 24 to allow the attendant to move freely through the long narrow part 31 of the hole 25. The attendant occupying the semi-suit 28 will have less freedom of lateral movement but the two persons together will have access to a person over the entire length of his inclined body.

The tent material 14 is sealed to the flange 45 by means of a ring 44 in a groove 42. The tent material is sealed in such a way that an increased pressure inside the enclosure will cause the tent material to seal tighter to the flange 45.

The frame 12 is provided with a border portion 40 which extends around the periphery of the window. The border portion 40 with a flange 45 has grooves 41 and 42 and the tent material is folded back over the flange 45 and a ring 44 clamps the flexible material over the flange 45 and forces the tent material down into the groove. A germicidal tape 43 is attached to the end of the tent material and to the flange 45 to hold it in sealed relation.

The half suit adapter 24 is attached to the tent 14 around opening 25 while the upper end of the half suit adapter 24 is attached to the half suit portion 27 around its lower end 22. The neck portion attaching sleeves of the half suit 27 is attached around the neck receiving opening 30 in the helmet, attaching sleeve 29 of half suit 27, and the helmet I7 is fixed to the neck portion.

The semi-suit 28 has a body portion and arms fixed to the half suit. The lower end of the semi-suit 28 is fixed to the periphery of the opening 26 and the neck portion 129 fixed to the periphery of the neck opening 130 of the semi-suit 28. The helmet 1 17 is fixed to the sleeve 129.

When the half suit and semi-suit are attached to the tent 14, the attendant in suit 27 can walk from side to side in opening 25, while the attendant in suit 28 can lean through the window with the upper part of his body.

The foregoing specification sets forth the invention in its preferred practical forms but the structure shown is capable of modification within a range of equivalents without departing from the invention which is to be understood is broadly novel as is commensurate with the appended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A patient care wall comprising in combination, a vertically disposed relatively rigid wall having a window opening therein and a tent member made of flexible sheet material,

frame means attaching said tent member to the periphery of said window opening in said wall,

an opening in said flexible sheet and a suit attached to said sheet around the periphery of said opening, said suit being adapted to receive the arms and upper part of a person's body whereby the occupant of said suit may lean through said window and perform services with his hands.

2. The patient care wall recited in claim 1 wherein a U- shaped member having legs and a transverse member is provided,

said transverse member is attached to the upper part of said tent member disposed adjacent the top margin of said frame means,

said frame being movable downward allowing said upper part of said tent to overlie said window opening,

said frame movable upward to receive said person and said suit.

3. The patient care wall recited in claim 1 wherein said opening in said tent member has a narrow part extending substantially the entire horizontal length of said window, said narrow part of said opening being wide enough to allow the thighs of an attendant to move therethrough,

said opening having a wide part sufficiently wide to allow the body of an attendant to pass therethrough whereby a person can walk on one side of said wall and attend a patient on the other side with his torso extending through said window.

4. The patient care wall recited in claim 3 wherein a second opening is formed in said tent adjacent said narrow part of said first mentioned opening,

said second opening being large enough to receive the body of an attendant,

and a half suit having its open end attached to said tent around said opening wherein the upper part of the body of an attendant may enter said half suit.

5. The patient care wall recited in claim 4 wherein the bottom of said window is disposed at slightly greater than knee height of an ordinary person in said wall 6. The patient care wall recited in claim 5 wherein toe space is provided in said wall at the lower part thereof whereby the attendants can stand closer to said wall, extending their reach.

7. The patient care wall recited in claim 1 wherein said tent is attached to said wall by means of a flange attached to said wall and defining said window,

said flange extending laterally from said wall,

said tent overlying said flange,

a groove in said flange,

a ring over said tent forcing said tent into said groove whereby said tent is sealed to said frame.

8. The patient care wall recited in claim 7 wherein said tent extends through said wall to the side thereof remote from the side on which said flange is disposed.

9. The patient care wall recited in claim 8 wherein said frame is a T-shaped section with one said flange extending from each side of said wall.

10. The patient care wall recited in claim 4 wherein said suits comprise a double layer of material defining an air passage communicating with the inside of said gloves and the inside of said helmet,

and a source of air connected to said passage. 

1. A patient care wall comprising in combination, a vertically disposed relatively rigid wall having a window opening therein and a tent member made of flexible sheet material, frame means attaching said tent member to the periphery of said window opening in said wall, an opening in said flexible sheet and a suit attached to said sheet around the periphery of said opening, said suit being adapted to receive the arms and upper part of a person''s body whereby the occupant of said suit may lean through said window and perform services with his hands.
 2. The patient care wall recited in claim 1 wherein a U-shaped member having legs and a transverse member is provided, said transverse member is attached to the upper part of said tent member disposed adjacent the top margin of said frame means, said frame being movable downward allowing said upper part of said tent to overlie said window opening, said frame movable upward to receive said person and said suit.
 3. The patient care wall recited in claim 1 wherein said opening in said tent member has a narrow part extending substantially the entire horizontal length of said window, said narrow part of said opening being wide enough to allow the thighs of an attendant to move therethrough, said opening having a wide part sufficiently wide to allow the body of an attendant to pass therethrough whereby a person can walk on one side of said wall and attend a patient on the other side with his torso extending through said window.
 4. The patient care wall recited in claim 3 wherein a second opening is formed in said tent adjacent said narrow part of said first mentioned opening, said second opening being large enough to receive the body of an attendant, and a half suit having its open end attached to said tent around said opening wherein the upper part of the body of an attendant may enter said half suit.
 5. The patient care wall recited in claim 4 wherein the bottom of said window is disposed at slightly greater than knee height of an ordinary person in said wall
 6. The patient care wall recited in claim 5 wherein toe space is provided in said wall at the lower part thereof whereby the attendants can stand closer to said wall, extending their reach.
 7. The patient care wall recited in claim 1 wherein said tent is attached to said wall by means of a flange attached to said wall and defining said window, said flange extending laterally from said wall, said tent overlying said flange, a groove in said flange, a ring over said tent forcing said tent into said groove whereby said tent is sealed to said frame.
 8. The patient care wall recited in claim 7 wherein said tent extends through said wall to the side thereof remote from the side on which said flange is disposed.
 9. The patient care wall recited in claim 8 wherein said frame is a T-shaped section with one said flange extending from each side of said wall.
 10. The patient care wall recited in claim 4 wherein said suits comprise a double layer of material defining an air passage communicating with the inside of said gloves and the inside of said helmet, and a source of air conNected to said passage. 